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Diabetes Success Stories

Over the past few years, we have heard from hundreds of people who have had tremendous success using a low-fat vegan diet to treat type 2 diabetes. Here are just a few of their stories.

John Beale
When doctors diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes, John was determined to avoid diabetes medication. Find out how he did it.
- Watch his story (YouTube)
- Read more about John>

Nancy Boughn
A participant in Dr. Barnard’s landmark diabetes study, this Virginia resident gained control of her blood sugar and lost nearly 40 pounds.
- Watch her story (YouTube)
- Read more about Nancy>

Darwin Fedorick
Darwin has had great success combining a vegan diet with exercise.
- Watch his story (YouTube)

Patricia Herrera
After going vegan, this California schoolteacher lost weight, got control of her blood sugar, and lowered her cholesterol.
- Watch her story (YouTube)

Mike Sickel
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Mike went vegan. He not only lost 150 pounds, he also tossed out his diabetes medications.
- Watch his story (YouTube)

Doris Theum
Worried about her growing loss of kidney function, this Houston grandmother decided to change her diet so that she could be healthy enough to enjoy her grandkids.
- Watch her story (wmv)

Jason Wyrick
Jason’s wake-up call came early. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was still in his 20s. Now he’s vegan, diabetes-free, and a gourmet chef.
- Watch his story (YouTube)

More Stories

Steven Hagstrom"My name is Steven Hagstrom and I have been a type 1 diabetic for 16 years. I am insulin dependent and I wear a pump. I control my diabetes through insulin, diet, and some yoga.

"This past year, my wife and I attended Katherine’s “Food For Life” class and we decided to go vegan. Since then, we’ve noticed several changes in my insulin activity and usage. Primarily, we’ve noticed a significant decrease in the amount of insulin used for eating. I haven’t eliminated the need for insulin, but I have significantly reduced it. Insulin is affected through weight and fat. Through this vegan diet, I’ve reduced my weight by over 40 pounds (about 15 percent of my body weight, from 250 to 210 pounds). This decrease in weight has greatly increased the efficiency of the insulin I take. Since diabetes is a progressive disease, I see this as an activity that will increase my life span and decrease my reliance on insulin. The amount of insulin I require has dropped from 60 to 40 units per day, about a 33 percent decrease since I became vegan.

I’ve been noticing that the longer I maintain my vegan diet, the better it gets. To the point where some days, I only require 30 units. There’s no question in my mind that the vegan lifestyle has been substantially effective in decreasing my dependence on insulin.